October, 2009       Issue #1

Dear New Readers,

When editor Duke Pennell asked me about a market for western short stories, he said he just couldn't find any place to submit them. I agreed that market is drier than a west Texas sand dune, so when he asked me if I would contribute a short story to his new project, I said sure.

There's still some folks that like the old west, so supplying them with some short fiction or even true tales of the west might be a treat. Secondly since the world is all going to email and the web anyway, why wouldn't such an electronic magazine entertain those fans.

That means if you have friends that like the west, why don't you put this magazine down as something for them to check out. Duke's mission to publish these stories can snow ball if you'll help publicize the magazine.

There's lots of my writer friends who have gone on, great men of the western pen like Elmer Kelton, Don Coldsmith, Terry Johnson, Fred Bean, just to name some recent ones. But out there are some folks who like me grew up at Saturday matinees and read every western book in the library in high school. Knew all the characters in the TV shows and watch the western channel every time our favorite screen riders come on.

And if you have a hankering to try your hand at writing some short western saga, the instructions on how to submit are in this edition. Of course that means first north American rights or you can join in his plan to print an anthology at the end of each year.

Join me and others in this fine contribution to our west.

God bless you

Dusty Richards